The conductor has added five years to his initial contract as music director of the Japanese orchestra.
The Tokyo Symphony Orchestra has extended Lorenzo Viotti’s contract as music director through March 2034, adding five years to his initial three-year tenure.
Viotti, 36, began his term as the orchestra’s fourth music director with the 2026/27 season. His appointment had originally been announced in August 2024 with an initial three-year agreement.
The conductor’s relationship with the Tokyo Symphony dates back to 2014, when his first appearance with the ensemble also marked his professional orchestra debut. He subsequently returned as a guest conductor before being named music director ten years after their first collaboration.
Under the current arrangement, Viotti travels to Japan up to four times per season and spends as many as eight weeks working with the orchestra.
The Tokyo Symphony said the longer-term agreement is intended to provide greater continuity in the orchestra’s artistic development. Managing Director Yoshitaka Hirooka said the ensemble aims to build a lasting musical foundation with Viotti while broadening its range of expression and sound.
“I am deeply happy and grateful to continue this journey with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra for another five years,” Viotti said in a statement announcing the extension.
Viotti’s next appearances with the orchestra include Mozart’s Symphony No. 38, “Prague”, and Schubert’s Symphony No. 2 on September 12 and 13. Later in the month, he will conduct Franz Schmidt’s oratorio The Book with Seven Seals at Suntory Hall on September 19 and Muza Kawasaki Symphony Hall on September 21 as part of the orchestra’s 80th-anniversary season.
In October, Viotti returns for three performances of a programme pairing Bach’s Chaconne, in Hideo Saito’s orchestration, with Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 10.
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